The Nashville Predators have an opportunity to secure their second home victory against the Vancouver Canucks in just 11 days when the Western Conference rivals face off on Monday. This quick rematch follows the Predators' 2-1 win in Nashville earlier this month.
Success at home against the Canucks has been tough for Nashville. The Predators hold a 20-19-6 record (including one tie) in 46 all-time regular-season home games against Vancouver. Their playoff home record is even less favorable, with 0 wins in six games.
The Canucks have struggled with injuries early in the season, affecting their depth significantly. This was evident in their recent 2-5-0 record over the last seven games, including a 5-2 defeat on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
Quinn Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, has missed four games due to a lower-body injury but traveled with the Canucks to St. Paul, Minnesota, and may be available for Monday’s game against the Predators.
Despite their struggles, the Canucks have shown effort in penalty killing, maintaining a 71.1% success rate (32-for-45), which remains near the bottom in the NHL.
Author’s summary: The Predators look to build on a recent win against an injury-impacted Canucks team hoping for a key player’s return to improve their penalty kill and overall performance.